The Pink Ghost
by SierLeAn
Summary: The night of Paprika's birthday, she meets a confused, scared ghost. He can no longer remember himself, and can only show himself to Paprika. Now she must help this ghost remember who he is, and maybe, it'll bring her closer to the truth about Lewis' disappearance. Slight AU.
1. Prologue

Paprika could remember when the house had been full of life and laughter. The sounds of her parents in the kitchen, her mama's quiet humming, her papa's chattering. She remembered Cayenne's snickering as she set her latest prank into action, either Belle's laughter as she was an accomplice, or her shrieking as she was targeted.

Most of all, Paprika could remember the gentle sounds of a violin, of a deep, soft voice singing, and strong arms as she was picked up into a hug or perched on broad shoulders to peer over purple hair.

Paprika remembered Lewis.

It had been a year since he'd left and never came back. No one knew what had happened, not even Vivi or Arthur, who'd been with him. Arthur said he remembered that they were investigating a supposedly cave, but he could no longer remember where that cave was, just an ominous feeling and green fog, the flash of sharp teeth and red eyes, and the pain of his arm being ripped off.

Of course, he hadn't said that while Paprika was in the room, but she wanted to know what happened to her big brother, so she used all the things Cayenne had taught her about stealth to eavesdrop.

Vivi on the other hand, remembered nothing. She remembered herself and her family, where she lived and who she was. She remembered that she was a paranormal investigator. She remembered Arthur and her dog Mystery. She even remembered the Peppers.

She didn't remember the cave.

She didn't remember Lewis. At all.

So the Peppers were left with nothing. They didn't even have a body. They didn't know if Lewis was also suffering amnesia, lost and alone. They didn't know if he was hurt or in trouble. They didn't know if he was...

Now, Cayenne's pranks were half-hearted. She no longer could laugh and hide behind Lewis as Belle chased her.

Now, Belle didn't react much to Cayenne's pranks. She was now the oldest sibling, she couldn't bring herself to act like the child she was, she couldn't even bring herself to yell or chase Cayenne when she was targeted.

Now, their mama and papa hummed and chattered less. They still cooked, of course they did, but they were more quiet when they did. They could no longer be joined by their son.

Now, Paprika didn't have someone big and strong to curl up to after a nightmare. Paprika couldn't sit on his shoulders and watch him cook, or feel the warmth of his hugs, or fall asleep to the sounds of his violin.

She could tell that things were slowly getting better. At first the house was completely silent as everyone anxiously awaited word on if he'd been found, or maybe that whatever was stopping him from contacting them no longer was. However, there was still a big hole in their lives, one that wouldn't go away until they knew what happened to him.

It was the night of Paprika's birthday that something finally happened.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES**_

 _ **There's not a lot of stories on the Peppers, that I've found at least, so I wanted to make one. I'm not a huge romance fan, I got my ships but I wish there was more friend/family stories.**_

 _ **Was there ever anything about the Pepper sisters' ages? I just got into this fandom, like, last month, so there's some things I mighta missed**_


	2. Noise in the Night

"Did you have a good birthday, Paprika?" Her papà said as she was tucked into bed.

She nodded, giving him a gap toothed smile. "I did! I liked all my presents, and cake, and seeing all my friends!"

"I'm glad you had fun, sweetie." He gave her a quick kiss on her head before stepping back to let her mamãe do the same.

"Boa noite, anjinho." She said.

"Boa noite, mamãe." Paprika replied. "Buona notte, papà."

"Buona notte, piccola." He said, flipping on her nightlight before he and her mamãe left with a soft click of a door.

Her smile shrank and she looked at the framed picture on her nightstand. It was taken after Lewis' twenty first birthday, her and her sisters were piled onto his shoulders trying to blow out the candles, Vivi's hand could be seen at the edge of the picture, sneaking in to swipe some icing, and all of Arthur that could be seen were his legs, because he'd tipped his chair back to far. In the middle of them all was Lewis, laughing.

They'd all been happy then, the party a mix of a birthday celebration and a goodbye party, as Mystery Skulls were about to go on a road trip around the country.

Paprika had always been fascinated with Lewis' side job, she listened intently at each story he brought home when they got a case. He'd told her that she might see him on TV one day, like Mystery Inc. or the Fentons.

But now Lewis was gone because of the paranormal. Yet, Paprika couldn't bring herself to hate it. Lewis loved it so much, almost as much as he loved cooking. He enjoyed investigating old places, seeing the history and discovering more. He loved the thrill a good scare or ominous environment would bring. Most of all, he loved helping the spirits they encountered, helping them move on, and if they didn't want to crossover, giving them some peace in the living world until they did. He loved helping people, living or dead.

Paprika sniffled, wiping her eyes before reaching for the photo, planting a gentle kiss on Lewis' face.

"Night, Lewlew." She whispered, gently setting the frame back down and burrowing under the covers.

* * *

Pink eyes blearily opened, blinking confusedly and glancing at the clock on her nightstand.

 _3:00 AM_

Paprika frowned, she was about to turn back over to go back to sleep, only to freeze.

It was faint, but she could hear a faint noise down the hall. It wouldn't have caused much alarm normally, sometimes her sisters or parents would wake up and move around, but this wasn't the normal sounds of restless sleep.

No, the sounds coming from down the hall was a _violin_.

The sounds of a violin playing was coming from down the hall. Where _Lewis'_ room was.

Paprika threw her covers off and practically flew from her bed, almost tripping over her sheets. She ran out of the room and down the hall, throwing the door to Lewis' room open.

"LEW-" She stopped, the big grin on her face slipping in confusion as she looked around the empty room. No one was there, nothing had been moved, his violin was still in it's case against the wall.

"Lewlew..?" She called quietly, stepping into the room hesitantly. "A-are you there?" The silence after her question was thick, and her eyes burned with tears.

"Lewlew," She cried. "I heard you! Lew, where are you!"

"Paprika?" The voice of her papà called softly as gentle hands picked her up and cradled her. "Oh, sweetie, what's wrong? What are you doing in here?"

"I thought I heard him.." She whimpered.

"Oh, Paprika..." He pressed a long kiss to her head. "You miss him, we all do.."

"I r-really did, papà.."

"Shh, come on, you can sleep with me and your mamãe tonight." He walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

However, just before the door closed, Paprika caught a glimpse of a tall figure fading into view next to Lewis' violin.

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES**_

 **Italian**

 _ **papà - dad**_

 _ **Buona notte - Goodnight**_

 _ **piccola - little one**_

 **Portuguese**

 _ **mamãe - mom**_

 _ **Boa noite - Goodnight**_

 _ **anjinho - little angel**_

 ** _I don't speak either Italian or Portuguese, so if anything's wrong, please correct me_**

 _ **Two references: Mystery Inc. from Scooby Doo and the Fentons from Danny Phantom**_


	3. The Voice

The next day, Paprika found herself once again in front of Lewis' room. She couldn't write what she'd seen and heard last night as a dream. No dream could copy Lewis' violin, and she was wide awake when the figure appeared.

Bracing herself, she slowly opened the door, peering into the room. Nothing seemed out of place, just as it had been last night.

"Hello?" She called, walking in and closing the door. "Is anyone here? I saw you last night. Are you a ghost?" A ghost was the only thing she could think of that explained what she'd seen and heard, and Lewis had brought home a couple before.

There wasn't an answer. No whispering voices, no growling, nothing.

"Are you... too weak?" She asked, trying to remember what Lewis had told her about ghosts, she had been much more interested in the stories than the technical explanations.

There still wasn't a voice, however something seemed to change. It felt like the very air around her perked up, and she felt the chill of goosebumps crawl up her arms.

"Oh, well, that's okay." She said. "I, uhm, I don't know if you know this, but you're in my big brother's room. Was that you who was playing the violin last night? It was very pretty, he used to play like that, too." She could feel the burn of tears in her eyes that talking about Lewis caused, and tried to hold them back.

"H-he used to investigate ghosts 'n stuff like you. Is that why you're here? Did you know him?" She leaned against Lewis' bed. "H-he's not here. He's b-been missing for a year, we don't know what happened to him..." She sniffed, sliding down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees.

* * *

It didn't know why It was here. It remembered nothing but sickly green and a flash of blue overcome by bright pink before It awoke in this strange room, with a bed It couldn't sleep in, with an open window that let the warmth of a sun It couldn't enjoy in. It couldn't leave the room, and at first It was weak, but slowly It gained energy.

Every time It heard the clangs of metal and smell of spices, the giggles of the younger three, the soothing hum of the older two, It felt like something clicked into place.

As it's strength grew, It tried to manipulate It's environment. The curtains wouldn't close, drawers wouldn't open, even the burst of terror and anger It felt when It heard the high rasp of a voice that brought back flashes of green and pain did nothing.

It wasn't until late at night, after the other inhabitants were asleep, that It finally succeeded. There was a strangely shaped case leaning against the wall. It called to It, bringing feelings of joy and calm. That night the pull was particularly strong, and so It followed, and a familiar sound filled the air, some of the heavy weight, the anxiety and fear and confusion, lifted.

However It was interrupted as the door to the room was thrown open. A small person ran in, mouth pulled into a grin that quickly fell as they looked around the room. A feeling of sorrow crashed into It's senses, all coming from the small being, and something deep inside It cried and fought, the urge to wrap arms It didn't have around them, to bring comfort, was overwhelming.

It watched as the little being cried, the suffocating vice around It's core increased as an older being came in and carried the crying one out.

But for a moment, after being invisible to the occasional visitor of It's prison, the little being looked up and _saw_.

Now, the sun shown through the curtains and once more It - Ghost, the little one had said- felt helpless, watching the same little being cry. Something in Ghost said that the case would help, but no matter how much Ghost tried, the sounds wouldn't start. The little being cried harder and louder, and the vice around Ghost's core tightened so much that Ghost felt a sharp crack, a lance of pain straight through Ghost's being, and suddenly, Ghost knew what to do.

* * *

Paprika's breath hitched as the air around her chilled, but, oddly, she wasn't cold. Instead there was a pressure around her, as if the air itself was hugging her, and it made her tears slow to a stop.

She wiped the remnants from her cheek, giving a shaky smile to whatever entity was with her. "Th-thank you.." The pressure increased, invisible arms giving a reassuring squeeze, before the chill receded to the edge of her senses.

She sat there for a moment longer, calming her shaky breathing and letting the remaining tension drain out of her before she got to her feet.

"I'll be back." She promised, smiling as she cast a glance around the room, then she left, closing the door gently behind her.

* * *

The jingle of a bell signaled the opening of Tome Tombs front door. At the counter the owner, Duet, looked up, a rehearsed greeting already on their tongue, before it died as they smiled.

"Paprika, hello." They said. "Happy belated birthday, I apologize for not being able to attend your party."

Paprika smiled, on her tip-toes to cross her arms on the counter. "That's okay, Duet, I know you're busy!"

"What brings you here, then?" They asked, going back to organizing things behind the counter.

"I was wondering if Vivi's here? I need to ask her something."

Duet nodded. "You're in luck, she's on break in the back." They waved to the door behind them. "Go on ahead."

"Thank you, Duet!" She skipped past them and into the break room, where she immediately caught sight of Vivi, sitting on the couch with a large sandwich in hand, Mystery, as always, was with her, on the floor and delicately eating his own sandwich in his usual un-doglike way.

"Hi, Vivi!" Paprika greeted, causing the older girl to jump and fumble with her food, Mystery let out a dog-ish snicker and barked in greeting, wagging his tail but not moving from his meal.

Vivi's eyes were blank for a moment as she looked at her, before they lit up with recognition. It was a side affect of her amnesia, certain things were harder for her to recognize. Paprika noticed it was normally her family that Vivi had the issue with, probably because she didn't remember Lewis at all, so remembering his family, or anything to do with him, was hard. Some things she had such a hard time recognizing, that she'd completely shut down until she was removed from the situation.

"Paprika!" Vivi exclaimed, jumping up and hugging her before leading her back to the couch. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to ask you something.." She hesitated, thinking of the best way to ask. "What's the best way to communicate to ghosts?"

Vivi lifted a brow. "Interested in ghosts now, huh?" She smiled. "You thinking of joining Chloe in trying to get a spot with me and Arthur?" Mystery barked in indignation. "Oh, I'm sorry Mystery! You're an important member as well!"

Paprika giggled, though it was strained, the thought of replacing Lewis in his own group was out of the question. "No, I don't think I'm ready for that. I was just curious!"

Vivi chuckled. "Well, alright! Hmm.." Her nose scrunched in thought. "Well, I guess it depends. There's a lot of ways to contact spirits. I'm guessing you mean the ones who haven't found a physical manifestation yet?" Paprika nodded. "Well, you're young and inexperienced, so things like Ouija boards and seances are out, especially if you're going solo. Always research and go to a professional for stuff like that, Paprika." She tacked on. "I'd go with the good ol' fashioned audio recorder!" She brandished said recorder, having pulled it out of seemingly nowhere.

She handed it to Paprika. "Here, you can have this one, I have a ton at home." She showed her how to use it and gave her a few more tips on how to communicate with weaker spirits. Paprika's mind was buzzing as she made her way home.

* * *

Paprika quietly made her way out of bed at around midnight, tip-toeing past her parents' and sisters' rooms and into Lewis'. She stood in the middle of it, the light of the moon and a distant streetlight streaming through the window. She instantly felt eyes on her.

She lifted the recorder. "I'm back. Uhm, this is a recorder, it'll help you talk to me. If... if you feel too tired to talk, you can take some of my energy if it'll help." She took a breath and pressed record.

"Hi, my name is Paprika. Is anyone here with me?" She gave the ghost time to respond and then pressed stop. She'd ask more questions later.

She hesitated before pressing play. She hoped...

" _Hi, my name is Paprika. Is anyone here with me?_ "

There was white noise, and then-

" _..-llo? I'm...-ere.._ "


End file.
